David Terrell: I wasn’t a bust, the Bears just had bad QBs

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 12, 2013, 7:24 PM EDT

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The Bears spent the eighth overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft on wide receiver David Terrell, who was cut after four disappointing seasons in which he gained a total of 1,602 receiving yards. As a result, he’s largely viewed as a bust.

But Terrell doesn’t see it that way.

When the Chicago publication RedEye put Terrell on its list of the Bears’ worst draft busts, Terrell contacted the author of the list to complain, saying that the real problem he faced in Chicago was a lack of good quarterbacks to get him the ball.

“I led the league for like the first four games with Rex Grossman at quarterback,” Terrell said of his final season in Chicago. “Until Rex Grossman breaks his foot against Minnesota. Did you forget that? I think you musta’ forgot about that. Man, I led the league in like every category basically until Rex broke his foot. When Rex broke his foot, after that, the season was over. I caught, I mean, I had nine different quarterbacks after Rex Grossman. I caught a ball from nine different quarterbacks in one year. Did you forget that?”

For the record, while Terrell is right that the Bears had a string of bad quarterbacks in 2004, he’s wrong about some of the details. The Bears had four quarterbacks — Grossman, Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel and Jonathan Quinn — in 2004, not nine. And while it’s true that Terrell played well with Grossman at the start of the season, catching 16 passes for 267 yards in the first four games, he was not leading the league in any statistical category (let alone “every category”) at the time that Grossman went down.

But Terrell would have loved to have played with a passer like the Bears’ current quarterback, Jay Cutler. Asked what he would have been willing to give for that, Terrell answered, “I would have cut off both my balls. I’d give those up, no problem. You could have neutered me. I woulda been neutered with a smile.”

If that’s true, then no one can ever say Terrell wasn’t willing to sacrifice to win.

They left out that after the bears cut him, he got a try out with the patriots cause he had played with Brady in college…….and he never made it out of camp.

blackngold4life says:Jun 12, 2013 7:44 PM

Can’t compare his situation with Megatrons.. 9 QBs all of them terrible..If Stafford was that bad Megatron wouldn’t have the numbers he has year in and year out. If you gona compare it use Fitzgerald in Arizona who has basically vanishd since Warner retired and Boldin left.

patfaninbflo says:Jun 12, 2013 7:48 PM

I remember this guy being with the Pats briefly, right after the Bears dumped him, and he didn’t make it past training camp. It was a reunion with his college QB, Tom Brady, and he still got cut.

The author of the list was right. He was a huge bust. Terrell can blame the bad qb’s all he wants. If he was a good player, he would’ve went to another team and had a productive career. Instead, he is lumped in the same category with Charles Rogers, Mike Williams (Detroit), Troy Williamson, Reggie Williams, Peter Warrick, and Travis Taylor as Top 10 picks who turned out to be busts.

Asked what he would have been willing to give for that, Terrell answered, “I would have cut off both my balls. I’d give those up, no problem. You could have neutered me. I woulda been neutered with a smile.”

This is the greatest thing any NFL player has ever said in the history of forever

No, he was a bad. Good technique lands you a shot – at worst. Look at GB – they fill the league with practice squad ‘fliers’ at WR. You need to run, also, another thing Terrell wasn’t so good at – oh and the whole catching the ball thing…

Guy was a complete bust. Even with Tom Brady, he’s a bust…. Erm – productive bust, that is.

HAHAHAHAHHAHA! Where the hell did this come from? Real words from a bust!

@Tokyo
Someone is getting scared! Even you’re MVP, Stand up, all around class QB wouldn’t say that Jay is a bad QB! Tokyo, you might want ease up man, I like you, but you take it way to far. Bears and the Packers are the best rivalry in the history of the NFL (some say oldest, but that reflects the best) and you need to respect that the Bears are much improved and respect that. Karma is coming for you Japan!!!!! : )

crownofthehelmet says:Jun 12, 2013 11:22 PM

Maybe A. Cromartie can switch to receiver and would be willing to give up his balls to play with Cutler. Thus saving a ton of $ on future child support.

vegaskid21 says:Jun 12, 2013 11:25 PM

Wanna hear something pathetic? Jay Cutler I has the best stats in Bears history. HA

David Terrell had several attitude issues while with the Bears. The Bears had no coaching to develop a player like Terrell either. Dick Jauron was completely in over his head in that area. Terrell needed alot of leadership to guide him and develop him and he never received it in Chicago. Yes, the QB’s weren’t exactly worldbeaters either, however, a real man doesn’t point the finger at others for his lack of productivity, he looks in the mirror and acknowledges the problem!!

He was a complete bust and I remember his time in Chicago well because it was when I was growing up and had enough time to listen to local radio and Bears coverage for several hours every day. Yeah, he might have been better with someone like Cutler, but a true GREAT wideout would have still put up better numbers than he did even with subpar QB’s.